Abstract
AimAlthough it is known that geriatric syndrome is associated with the development of frailty, it is not known whether an amelioration of geriatric syndrome also improves shared risk factors and frailty.MethodsIn total, 67 community‐dwelling older people (79.6 ± 6.5 years, 49 women) participated in this study (41 were classified as pre‐frail and 26 as frail). We analyzed indices of physical frailty and cognitive depression, exercise tolerance and health‐related quality of life as frailty related indices, and the participants completed a questionnaire regarding common geriatric symptoms (cold extremities, leg edema, breathlessness, urinary incontinence, chronic headache, chronic pain, a sense of numbness, anorexia, constipation, insomnia and skin trouble) using numeric ratings. Frailty was evaluated using the Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study (J‐CHS) criteria. The participants then underwent a far‐infrared low‐temperature sauna (FILTS) program twice a week for 3 months and the above parameters were reassessed.ResultsAfter the FILTS program, there were significant differences in usual walking speed, peak oxygen uptake, Geriatric Depression Scale‐15, health‐related quality of life and the severity of several geriatric symptoms. Of the 67 participants, 18 showed improvements in their J‐CHS frailty score, 47 showed no change and two showed reductions. Linear regression analysis showed that the change in the numeric rating of the coldness of extremities (B = −0.105, P = 0.013) and the cumulative numeric rating for geriatric syndromes (B = 0.044, P < 0.001) were independent determinants of the change in the J‐CHS score.ConclusionsA 3‐month FILTS program ameliorates geriatric syndrome, the severity of frailty and frailty related indices in older Japanese people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 892–898.
Highlights
Linear regression analysis showed that the change in the numeric rating of the coldness of extremities (B = −0.105, P = 0.013) and the cumulative numeric rating for geriatric syndromes (B = 0.044, P < 0.001) were independent determinants of the change in the Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study (J-CHS) score
Inouye et al proposed a unifying conceptual model in which shared risk factors may lead to the development of geriatric syndromes; in turn these may lead to frailty, with feedback mechanisms increasing the incidence of shared risk factors and geriatric symptoms, leading to disability, dependence and death.[7]
67 participants successfully completed the 3-month far-infrared low-temperature saunas (FILTS) program and no adverse events related to the program were recorded; 41 (61.2%) participants were classified as pre-frail and 26 (38.8%) as frail
Summary
Frailty is a common clinical syndrome in older adults that carries a higher risk of poor health outcomes, including falls, disability, hospitalization and mortality.[1,2,3,4,5] Frailty is a biological syndrome that can manifest in a number of ways, but can be defined as the 892 |. It is not known whether an amelioration of the geriatric syndrome would interrupt the feedback mechanisms, thereby improving shared risk factors and frailty
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